Skirt-supporter



PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD JOSEPH MAHER, F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

SKIRT-SUPPORT'ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

' Application led July 16, 1918. Serial No. 245,160@

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD JOSEPH a human resident' of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-Supporters, of which the following is a specication.

' My invention relates to a belt or girdle; especially a girdle designed to fit around body and support a garment thereon.

' An object of my invention is to provide a girdle adapted particularly for feminine use and so made that it can always encircle the owners waist in substantially one and the same position and yet be capable of holding the garment that it supports, for example, the dress skirt, at a predetermined height, and for adjusting the height at pleasure, according to the length of the skirt, '5. e. the position of the skirt band, due to the changing fashion of wearing the apparel referred to.

The drawings and description disclose the best embodiment of my invention now known to me, but I reserve the right to make changes in what is actually shown herein to thefull extent indicated by the general meanings of the terms employed in the appended claims.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a frontview showing a girdle made according to my invention as it would appear on the wearer, the garment partially attached thereon.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Such a girdle extended; and

Fig'. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

I show at 1 a band to encircle the wearers waist, and above the band 1 is a similar band 2 to be substantially parallel with the band 1. The upper and lower bands of the girdle can be made out of any suitable material, such as canvas tape or other stout cloth, and they are united by connecting and supporting members 3, which hold the two bands together and carry the band 2 above the band 1 when the girdle is placed about the waist line of the wearers body. Each member 3 is adjustable as to length so that the distance between the two bands can be varied. Hence the band 1 can be applied to the wearers waist always in one and the same position; while the skirt or other garment 4 can be worn in different positions simply by altering the location of the band 2, relative to the band 1. In other words, when the skirt is attached to the band 2 it can be worn higher or lower according to the length of the members 3; andby adjusting the lengths of the members 3 before the skirt is put on, the desired eiect can in every case be easily and quickly obtained, to which is added the advantage of retaining the skirt definitely in the intended position.

To attach the skirt to the girdle I provide the upper band 2 with fastening devices 5 and the skirt is joined to a band 6, having fastening devices 7. Any suitable form vof fastening devices may be employed,.but'I prefer the well known glove fastener; making the devices 5 serve as the male elements and the devices 7 as the female elements thereof, so that when the skirt 4 and band 6 are secured together, and the elements 7 are caused to receive the elements 5 in engagement, the skirt'will be held up by the girdle as required.

'To secure 6 may be sewed or otherwise 'attached with whatever degree of permanency desired but in the present form I employ metal staples or fasteners 8 carried by the band 6, the points of the staples 8 being passed through the usual band inside the skirt 4 and then bent down to keep from releasing the skirt as will be understood. f

`Each member or upright or brace 3 is made adjustable to vary its length and in the skirt to the band 6, the band the form illustrated this adjustable feature isprovided by constructing it in two parts; one part such as the lower portion indicated at 9 having a slot 10 and the upper part 11 carrying an element 12 to engage the slot 10. The element 12 in each case may be a rivet fast to the part 11 passing through the slot 10 and having a head on one end and its opposite end flattened to retain a washer on it, and against the edges of the slot 10. A. similar washer may be placed onl the rivet 12 between the parts 9 and11 ift desired, so that the parts 9 and 11 may be rendered more readily adjustable without binding upon each other when moved.

The parts 9 and 11 of each member 3 will also carry fastening devices to hold them in their proper relative positions. At the upper end of each lower part 9 will be a male fastening element 13, similar to the elements 5, and in each upper part l1 above the rivet 12 will be several female fastening elements 14 similar to the elements 7. By disengaging the part-s 9` and 11, and manipulating them to attain the right length, they can be secured by snapping the elements 13 into the elements 14. l/Vhen the elementsy 13 and 14 are thus engaged they coperate with the element 12 in holding the parts 9 and 11 of each member in alinement.

In `practice the girdle is put on by placing the band'l` around the waist and securing its ends together by abuckle 15 or any convenient fasteningfmeans, the band 2 having its' ends united by similar means; The members 3V being adjusted to the length desired, the wearer can don the skirt' by forcing the elements 5 ofthe'band 2 of the girdle-into the elements 7 of the band 6 attached tothe skirt. Hence the skirt 4 can beT worn higher or lower according to thel wearers wish', or as the length of the garment or as the prevailing style of' wearing the skirt band may suggest.

The girdle is quite simple, comprises but few parts, and 'costs but little to produce.- It

can-be worn by any onev and on account of the ease'with which it can be manipulated, it is unlikely to getout of order or become damagedV from use; I

When :the girdle is putY on, the skirtwaist above the skirt may be inside therband 2 or over it if desired. Tofenable the band 6 for the skirt'to be joinedtothe latter, the skirt'v mayA have an inside or lining to beengaged by the fasteners; whereby the fas-V ten'ers willfnot be visible on'the outside of the' Skirt 4.

While I have thusshown with full-detailsV the adjustable means for elevating the band of the skirt at different heights, it isobvious that the belt performs its paramount function in eifectually retaining the skirt in the position predetermined upon. by the wearer, irrespective-of and uninfluenced by the conformation of the waist line, and hence the specific means for effecting said adjustments while inone sense they may be found convenient and highly essential for such universal adaptability, yet it is not my desire to have the other and really more im-V portant functions omitted from the scope and operation' of the patent therefor. In other words, my invention-may be embodied in a girdle with or without the adjustable features described, and which therefore supports a skirt, dress or gown in a relatively secure position above thc waist line of the wearer.

I am furthermore aware that belts of many kinds have been designed for a variety of uses, and that some have been constructed with more than one encircling'member having connecting stays from one to the other, in the broad general manner of-my present disclosure. These plural members however have not prior to my improvementbeen employed for the specific object of enabling the wearer' of a dress skirt to support that article upon the body with the precision of adjustment that will be provided by the device disclosed herein.

I therefore do not claim broadly the structure of a double belt per se, but rather such a device that will admit of that predetermined adjustment of the wearing apparel that marks the well dressed person, and to this end it is pointed out that the upper belt, z'. c., the one supported uponthe uprights 3, may be dispensed with, in which case the upper be attached may be desired to attach the'elem-ent 7 to the inner face o-f the skirtfband in the. first instance, placing the member 5 Aupon the top end of upright in either of the two meth ods described above for attaching the skirt to my device.

Having described my invention,what I` claim as new and desire to secure' and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a garment, of

an attaching band secured to the garment and agirdle including connected upper and lower bands, the lower one of which is adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer and the upper band being provided with means for detachable engagement with said attaching band, whereby the garment may be suspended from the girdle at a point above the waist line of the wearer.

2. The' combination witha garment, having a band, of anattaching band secured to the garment band, a girdle including, spaced upper and lower bands, the lower 'one of which is adapted to encircle the. waist of the wearer, stays connectingv said bandsand interengaging fastening dev-icescarried by the attaching band and upper band for suspending the garment from the girdle at a point above the waist line of the wearer.

3. The combination with a garment havingfaband7 of anattachingband securedito the garment band, a girdle including upper= and lower bands, each? provided withvinter-y engaging ends, the lower band beingadapted to encircle the waist of the wearer, interenga-ging fastening devices carried by' the upper band and the attaching band for suspending the garment fromsaidupper band, and vertically adjustable stay members forming a connection between the bands whereby the garment may be suspended from the girdle at different heightsy above the waist line of the wearer. y

4. A garment supporter includingV a band for attachment to a skirt, a girdle comprise ing upper and lower bands, the lower one of which is adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer, stay members connecting said bands for supporting the upper band in position above the waist line of the wearer, an interengaging fastening devices carried by the attaching band and upper band of the girdle for suspending the skirt from the girdle at a point above the waist line of the wearer.

5. A garment supporter including a band for attachment to a skirt, a girdle comprising upper and lower bands, the lower one of which is adapted to encircle the waist of the wearer, stays connecting said bands and each formed of mating sections adjustable vertically with respect to each other, one of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, .D. 0.

the sections with a slot and the other with a pin extending through said slot, interengaging fastening devices carried by the sections of the stays Afor securing the stays in dierent positions of vertical adjustment, and interengaging fastening devices carrie by the attaching band and upper band of the girdle for suspending a skirt from the girdle at a point above the waist line of the wearer.

Signed at New York, in the county oi 25 New York and State of New York, this 10th day of July, A. D. 1918.

, EDWARD JOSEPH MAHER.

Commissioner of latentes of each stay being provided 15* 

